This invention relates to altering the composition of the smoke constituents received by the smoker of cigarettes, cigars, and the like to reduce the quantities of unwanted or undesirable gases and/or particulate matter in the smoke, and to reducing the addictive quality of such smoking articles in a way which facilitates reducing or breaking the smoking habit. More particularly, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for treating cigarettes, cigars, and the like to reduce the quantities of undesirable and addictive substances received by the smoker, to the smoking articles which result from such treatment, and to methods of breaking the smoking habit using such treatment of smoking articles or using smoking articles so treated.
It is now generally recognized that the smoking of cigarettes, cigars, and the like can affect the health of the smoker. The possible relationships between lung cancer, heart and circulatory diseases, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, etc., and the particulate matter ("tar") and gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxides, etc., in tobacco smoke have been extensively studied.
Despite the publicity given these health considerations, many smokers are unable to substantially reduce or stop smoking. This is due in large part to the presence of nicotine in tobacco smoke which is recognized as habit-forming or addictive. Many cigarette smokers, in an effort to reduce the health hazards associated with smoking, have switched from unfiltered to filtered cigarettes, or from lightly filtered to more heavily filtered cigarettes. But to satisfy their requirement for nicotine, many of these individuals find themselves smoking greater numbers of cigarettes so that the intake of undesirable substances is not substantially reduced. In addition, many filtered cigarettes do not reduce the intake of gases such as carbon monoxide, and some may even increase the intake of those gases as compared to unfiltered cigarettes.
Many of the techniques for aiding smokers in reducing or breaking the smoking habit are unsatisfactory because they interfere too drastically with the act of smoking or the satisfaction derived from it. For example, it has been found that if the amount of nicotine received from a cigarette is suddenly reduced by more than about 25%, the smoker is noticeably unsatisfied by the cigarette and is either uncomfortable or will smoke another cigarette. Similarly, if the taste or draw resistance of a cigarette is altered too substantially, or if a holder is required, the smoker may find the interference unacceptable.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of this invention to provide methods and apparatus for treating cigarettes, cigars, and the like to reduce the quantities of undesirable and addictive substances, both particulate and gaseous, received by the smoker.
It is another object of the invention to provide methods and apparatus for treating cigarettes, cigars, and the like to permit controlled, step-wise reduction of the quantity of nicotine received by the smoker from smoking successive smoking articles so that the addiction to nicotine can be gradually reduced without trauma and the smoking habit broken.
It is a further object of this invention to provide cigarettes, cigars, and the like which have been treated to reduce the quantities of undesirable and addictive substances received by the smoker.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a method of breaking the smoking habit by treating cigarettes, cigars, and the like to reduce the smoker's intake of nicotine from successive smoking articles in a controlled, step-wise manner.